Child safety seats typically rest upon, and are anchored to, an existing standard seat in a vehicle. Older children are often able to climb into and out of the safety seat themselves rather than being lifted into and out of the seat by an adult. This is desirable, as the task of lifting a child into and out of a safety seat can be cumbersome for many adults. However, the relatively high position of the safety seat upon the standard vehicle seat can make it difficult for many children to climb into and out of the safety seat unaided.
Child safety seats having a fixed step are disclosed in the art, such as U.S. Pat. No. 6,827,387 to Kolpasky. However, such child safety seats typically are designed to replace a standard vehicle seat. Consequently, the child safety seat must be removed and the standard vehicle seat must be re-installed if adult seating is needed, which can be both time-consuming and laborious. An alternative solution is to utilize separately attachable steps for a child safety seat. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,860,557 to Jonasson teaches a step apparatus that fits between a child safety seat and a standard vehicle seat. While the step of Jonasson fulfills its intended purpose, the device must be installed before the child seat is attached to the vehicle. Furthermore, both the step disclosed by Jonasson and the seat of Kolpasky include devices (i.e., a seat and a step apparatus, respectively) that must be stored either in the vehicle cargo space or elsewhere when not needed.
Seats having built-in footrests are also shown in the art, such as U.S. Pat. No. 6,866,341 to Behnert and U.S. Pat. No. 5,997,083 to Ono. However, such footrests are not intended to be used as steps. Accordingly, they are often not oriented sufficiently horizontally for use as a step. In addition, a footrest is not typically designed to bear the weight of a child for use as a stop and can collapse if used in such a manner, with the risk of injury to the child. Furthermore, footrests are typically spaced apart from the seat, leaving a gap between the footrest and the seat that a child can fall through during ingress and egress.
Lacking other solutions, parents often simply place a stepping device such as a box or crate on the floor of the vehicle, forward of the standard seat to which the child safety seat is attached. This approach also suffers from a number of drawbacks. Firstly, such a stepping device is typically not secured to the vehicle and can move or tip during use. In addition, the stepping device consumes space that could otherwise be used to carry cargo. Furthermore, depending upon the size and shape of the stepping device, there may be insufficient space on the floor of the vehicle for the child to place his or her feet when climbing on or off the stepping device. In addition, an unsecured stepping device could become a hazardous projectile if the vehicle is involved in an accident. Lastly, the stepping device must be stored either in the vehicle or elsewhere when not needed.
There is a need for a step apparatus that allows a child to safely climb into and out of a child seat that is anchored to a standard vehicle seat. There is a further need for an integral step apparatus that does not consume vehicle floor space when not in use, and does not require installation, removal or separate storage.